‘Mega Hot’ Conditions to Force Serious Changes to Vuelta a España Stage 15

It happened on stage 9 of the Tour de France and now the Vuelta a España has been forced to make big changes due to extreme heat, with race organizers slashing the distance of Sunday’s race to Córdoba.

With temperatures set to hit 40 degrees Celsius on stage 15, the stage from Palma del Río has been cut from 189.7km to 110.2, a reduction of almost two hours’ of racing.

“With the aim of protecting the health of the riders and ensuring the best possible conditions for the competition, the Extreme Weather Protocol is being activated for Stage 15,” organizers said in a statement.

While the original start location has been retained, the modifications will see the neutralized start time changed to 2:50pm local time, with the start proper ten minutes after that.

The original start location remains the same, with the shortening of the route occurring from kilometer 52, taking the the CO-3402 towards Santa María de Trassierra instead of the originally-planned A-3075 towards Villaviciosa de Córdoba.

The peloton has come under pressure from extreme temperatures during this year’s race, with Friday’s stage to Loja exceeding 40 degrees.

That was one day after Tudor Pro Cycling’s Arthur Kluckers was transported to a hospital in an ambulance after struggling in temperatures that reached 38°C (100°F).

The race is in the south of Spain at present, exposing it to a greater likelihood of sweltering conditions. This risk is further exacerbated by Sunday’s stage going to Córdoba, a city that is notorious for its heat.

Speaking after Saturday’s stage, the rider in second overall confirmed that the temperatures are very much having an effect on the peloton.

“The fatigue is for sure building up now…. And with the heat it is just really exhausting,” said Decathlon CMA CGM’s Felix Gall.

He said that that consideration meant that he modified his tactics to try to reduce the odds of problems. “I didn’t want to take too much risk with the heat of the past days and also today again,” he stated.

As a result Gall held back on his effort, deciding to see how he felt closer to the finish.

The conditions also affected a rider at the opposite end of the bunch, with Mathias Norsgaard almost missing the time cut as a result.

“It’s been fucking hard,” the Lidl-Trek rider said at the finish. “It was so mega hot in the first two-three hours, so I just didn’t have anything left when we had to drive upwards at the end.”

Many others will share that sentiment, and be relieved that Sunday’s race will be shorter than envisaged.

Europe has been pummelled by heatwaves this year, with these drying out the land and causing wildfires to spread far more easier than before.

Such fires affected the Tour de France, with spectators being told they shouldn’t attend the race on stage 3. The publicity caravan was also cancelled that day.

The final day was also impacted, with the opening part of the stage route being removed due to emergency services being required to head elsewhere in France to fight wildfires.

It remains to be seen if further Vuelta stages could be impacted. The bulk of this year’s race is in the south of the country, including the finish in Grenada.